Temperature controlled shut-off valve



July 20, 1937. c R. ROSS TEMPERATURE CONTROLLED SHUT-OFF VALVE Filed July 16, 1936 Patented July 20, 1937 UNITED STATES Para Charles Raymond Ross, Vancouver, British 00- lumbia, Canada Application July 16, 1936, Serial No. 91,010

4 Claims.

This invention relates to a temperature controlled shut-off valve for use upon gas and oil lines, for purposes of shutting off the supply in case of fire or other high temperature hazards.

It is a fact well known to underwriters and municipal authorities that there is a considerable fire hazard. incurred where gas is laid upon premises, through inability of shutting off the local supply at the point of entry in case of fire.

It is a further fact that, up to the present date, there has been no device available for this purpose that could be considered a commercial possibility by reason of the high cost of such products, which have usually been of a complicated structure.

Also in the oil fields there has been a great need for an automatic shut-off valve that had temperature control features incorporated therein, that could be produced at a reasonable cost, and it is one of the objects of my invention to supply such a device that will meet with underwriters and municipal authorities approval, and fulfil all of the functions of a device of this charactter, which can also be produced at a reasonable cos My invention is strictly in the nature of a safety device for installation upon all lines carrying gas, oil, or. other inflammable liquids, or vapors, and is designed to operate and shut ofi the supply in case of any high temperature rise, either remotely or adjacent the installation of the device.

My invention and the nature of same are more fully described in the following specification and illustrated in the drawing accompanying and,

forming part of this application, and in which:

Figure 1 is a cross sectional elevation of valve, showing mounting of valve and valve stem and upper control chamber and control lever holding valve in the open position.

Figure 2 is an outside elevation of valve showing mounting of fusible plug upon the side of valve.

Figure 3 is a longitudinal cross sectional view of valve taken on line 3-3 of Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a sectional detail view of valve headed control rod mounted in boss at lower end of valve body head, and shows fusible plug or button mounted upon end of boss to form a keeper to said control rod. Insulation is shown surrounding the base of fusible button. Seat for the valve formed upon end of control rod is shown.

In the drawing like numerals indicate like parts, and the numeral l indicates the valve body head having a threaded portion 2 upon the lower end, adapted for screwing into a valve body 3 having a seat 4 formed therein.

The valve body 3 is of conventional type, known as a globe valve.

The upper portion of the valve body head I is divided off from the lower part by a partition or floor 5 to comprise an upper control chamber 6. and a valve stem chamber 1 below the partition or fioor 5.

Formed integrally with the fioor 5 within the valve stem chamber 1 is a dependent valve stem guide 8 in which is mounted a valve stem 9, the upper end of which extends through the fioor or partition 5 into the upper control chamber 6.

The lower end of the valve stem has swivelly mounted thereon a valve disc Ill adapted for seating upon the valve seat -5 formed interiorly of the valve body 3.

Mounted upon top of the valve disc I0 is a helical compression spring H which surrounds the dependent valve stem guide 8 and is compressed between the under side of the partition or floor 5 and the top of the swivel valve disc ID.

The upper end B2 of the valve stem 9 above the floor 5 is fitted with an odd pitched thread 13 upon which is screwed an adjustable contact disc l4 adapted to make contact with the cam head I5 of a dependent lever arm l6 pivoted upon the pin ll mounted in bearings E8 in the upper control chamber 6.

The pin H is fitted into its bearings l8 from the outside of the valve body head and the pin is retained therein by a blind screw 19.

The upper control chamber 6 is closed by a threaded cover plate 20.

The contact disc M and valve stem 9 are supported in the open position by the cam head l5 and lever arm It being retained in a fixed position by a control rod 2! mounted in a boss 22 formed exteriorly upon the lower part of the valve body head I. (See Figure l.)

The control rod 2! has formed upon its inner end a valve head 23 adapted to seat upon a valve seat 24 formed upon the inner wall of the valve stem chamber 1 when the dependent lever arm [6 has been forced to a position to permit closing of the valve, thereby sealing any escape of gas from the interior of the valve.

The control rod 2| is retained in contact with the lower end of the dependent lever arm l6 by a fusible plug or button 25 mounted upon the end of the boss 22 and retained thereon bya threaded cap 26 fitting the boss 22.

The dependent lever arm [6 extends downwardlyfrom the upper control chamber 6 and into the valve stem chamber 1 through an aperture 21 formed in the'floor or partition 5.

Formed on top of the cam head I is a shoulder or buttress 28 having a small projection formed thereon for'the mounting 'of one end,

closing position when the lower end of the dependent lever arm is released of restraint by movement of the control rod 2|.

The cam head I5 of the dependent lever I6 is so profiled that a very small -movement of the latter and lever arm |6 is necessary for it to disengage the screwed contact disc 44 upon top of the valve stem 9 and permit of the valve unauthorized person, who removes the cover plate disc l0 to close upon its seat .-In--operation the temperature control, valve is V intended for installation between the regular shut off service'cock' and a gas meter, or between any source of supply of inflammable liq- Md and its delivery point. g

When so" installed the valve is put into the open position by the service men unscrewing,

chamber! by means of the control rod 2|, and

then securing. the control rod,2| in its guide by the fusible plug or button 25 held by the cap 26 so that,.when the key which'hasopened the valve is removed, the downwards pressure of the spring loaded valve stem 9 is exerted against the cam head [5. and the lever arm l6 exerts pressure against the end of the control rod 2|, and through that against the fusible plug 25 in a an effort to fly to the valve closing position.

v to meltat a very low temperature, and stillbe strong enough to. support the thrust ,of the.

, This effort of the lever arm IE to fly into the valve closing position is augmented by the helical spring 29 mounted above the cam head l5.-

The fusible plug orbutton 25 may be made control rod 2| mounted. in the boss 22.

In some installations where .it is desired to establish remote control of the. temperature shut-off valve by installation of thermostats, the

fusible plug 25 is provided with insulation 30 surrounding the base and" outer sides of the plug for the purpose of insulating the latter from line 32 secured at any convenientpoint upon the 70.

body of the valve. In'the event of any thermostat in the circuit or series functioning by a rise in temperature, such action will result in the electric circuit being closed and the melting of the fusible plug releasing the control rod 2|, which in turn releases the dependent lever arm I6 and permits it to fly to valve closing position.

By the moving of the lever arm Hi, this action has caused the valve head on the control rod 2| to seat upon its seat 24 formed upon the inner wall of the valve stem chamber 1 and hence any gas within the valve body is prevented from leaking along the stem and guide of the control rod. r

After the shut-off valve is once set'it is complete protection against fire, as in the event of a sudden rise in temperature adjacent the meter upon which the valve is installed, the fusible plug 25 melts, and the lever arm l6 flies out and permits the valve to close and shut off the gas supply'to the meter. 7 a

The object ofthe odd thread l3 upon the upper end of the valve stem 9 is to prevent any 20 from off the top of valve body head, from moving up the valve stem threaded device.

9 with a standard Once the valve has'closed, either through ac- V cident or cause, it cannot be opened again except by an authorized party who has "a key for that purpose, as the screw cap can be prevented from being removed by a sealed wire passing" therethrough so that. an inspector can readily tell the valve has been tampered with if. the

.seal is broken.

No amount of movement of the lever arm l6,

after the valve is once closed, can possibly open it again.

Having now described my invention, what I claim and desire to be protected in, .by Letters Patent, is: 1. In a shut-off valve having temperature actuated closing mechanism, the combination of a valve body head in which is formed a control chamberand a valve stem chamber, a spring loaded valve stem and valve disc mounted in said Valve stem chamber, said stem extending upwardlyinto said controlchamber'and having an odd pitched thread formed upon its upper end, an adjusta ble contact disc mounted upon said odd pitched thread, a cam having a dependent lever arm extending downwardly into said valve stem chamber mounted in said control chamber adjacent to said contact disc, said cam and lever arm adapted to support said disc and spring loaded valve stem in the valve open position when saidjcam and lever arm are ina fixed position, a threaded boss formed exteriorly upon said valve bodyhead ad-. jacent thebottom thereof, a fusible plug mounted upon the outer end of said boss and retained thereon by a screw cap, said fusible plug come prising an abutment to one end of a slidable control rod mounted in the center ofsaid boss while the opposite end of the rod extends interiorly into 7 chamber and a valve stem chamber, a spring I loaded valve stem and disc mounted in said valve stem chamber, said valve stem extending upwardly into said control chamber and having adjuste ment means mounted thereon, a cam having a dependent lever arm extending downwardly into said valve stem chamber mounted adjacently to said adjustment means in said control chamber, said cam and lever arm adapted to support said spring loaded valve stem in the valve open position when said cam and lever arm are retained in a fixed position by a slidable control rod mounted in the wall of said valve stem chamber adjacent the bottom thereof, said control rod having a valve head formed upon the inner end thereof and a stem extending through the said wall and a boss formed exteriorly thereon and having its outer end abutting upon a fusible plug secured upon the outer end of said boss by a screw cap whereby the inner end of said control rod comprising said valve head forms a stop to the lower end of said lever arm to retain the latter in a fixed position to support said spring loaded valve stem in valve open position, the inner wall of said valve chamber having a seat for said valve head.

3. In a glandless shut-off valve having temperature actuated closing mechanism, the combination of a valve body head divided into a control chamber and a valve stem chamber, a spring loaded valve stem and disc mounted in said valve stem chamber, said valve stem extending upwardly into said control chamber and having adjustment means mounted thereon, a cam having a dependent lever arm extending downwardly into said valve stem chamber mounted adjacently to said adjustment means in said control chamber, said cam having a shoulder formed upon the topthereof to provide a buttress to a helical compression spring mounted between said buttress and the adjacent inner wall of said control chamber whereby turning movement is imparted to said cam and dependent lever arm when free to move, said cam and lever arm adapted to support said spring loaded valve stem in the valve open position when said cam and lever arm are retained in a fixed position by a valve headed control rod forming a stop to the lower end of said lever arm, said valve headed rod having a seat formed upon the inner wall of said valve stem chamber for the head of said control rod to seat upon when the latter is subjected to movement, said control rod having a stem slidable in and extending through the wall of said valve stem chamber and a boss formed exteriorly thereon and having its outer end abutting upon a fusible plug mounted upon the outer end of said boss, whereby said control rod is restrained from movement and formsa stop to the lower end of said lever arm to retain the latter in a fixed position whereby the cam upon the upper end of said lever arm is caused to support the spring loaded valve stem in the valve open position.

4. In a glandless shut-off valve having temperature actuated closing mechanism the combination of a valve body head divided into a control chamber and a valve stem chamber, a spring loaded valve stem and disc mounted in said valve stem chamber, said valve stem extending upwardly into said control chamber and having adjustment means for supporting said valve stem mounted thereon, a cam having a dependent lever arm extending downwardly into said valve stem chamber mounted adj acently to said adjustment means in said control chamber, said cam having a shoulder formed upon the top thereof to provide a buttress to a helical compression spring mounted intermediately of said buttress and the adjacent inner wall of said control chamber whereby turning movement is imparted to said cam and dependent lever arm when free to move, said cam and lever arm adapted to support said adjustment means in the valve open position when said cam and lever arm are retained in a fixed position by a slidable control rod mounted in the wall of said valve body head and intermediately of an insulated fusible plug and the lower end of said lever arm, being connected in an electric circuit which is grounded upon said shut-off valve, whereby upon said circuit being closed by the temperature closing the mechanism through a temperature rise said fusible plug will'be fused to a degree to release said control rod whereby said cam and dependent lever arm are released from their fixed position and permit said spring loaded valve stem and disc to close the valve.

CHARLES RAYMOND ROSS. 

